


Chocolate Frogs and Room Service

by NeedleandChess



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marauders Era - Fandom, marauders - Fandom
Genre: Because trans Remus gives me life, Black James Potter, Gen, It's just marauders, Trans Remus Lupin, because if you tell me Harry wasn't black i will fight, except there's POC and people with disability, in marauders era, the way the books should've been
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-02 19:31:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10225481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeedleandChess/pseuds/NeedleandChess
Summary: An original title and of course an original plot line.It's marauders throughout the years.Trans Remus. Black James. Jily and Wolfstar eventually.Chapters are pretty long. Updated roughly weekly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter is meeting on the train, the sorting and their first day at school.  
> But this one is just all marauders getting to the platform with Lily reference at the end.  
> (Also end is mainly dialogue because it just flowed better).

Smoke and Steam

"James? James sweetheart?" Euphemia knocked on her sons door.

"James are you alright?" She pushed it open gently, memorizing the way the door creaked and felt her heart hurt as she accepted how long it would be until this door creaked again. She missed her baby already.

Clothes were strewn across the floor in a messier fashion than usual. James's owl-Alonzo-was tucked into his wing ignoring the chaos and James himself was sat on his bed; quill in hand and poring intently over a long bit of parchment that cascaded off the bed. At present, he was muttering things to himself like "packed the book but where do I put the potion case without it breaking?". He was scribbling lines through the list or adding curved amendments with a labyrinth of arrows setting away from it.

"James?" Euphemia called a little louder.

James blinked up at her, appearing startled. His messy hair was stuck up like blackthorns and his glasses lay crooked and close to the end of his nose.

"Just repacking Mum" he said yawning. His poor eyes were red raw.

"Darling you've been packing and repacking for four days straight and I'll warrant you got no sleep last night either. I know you're nervous-

"I'm not nervous"

Euphemia smiled.

"It's ok to have feelings you know. Anyway, I know you're" she made room on his bed and sat beside him "excited. But it's not like they're going to send an owl in the morning saying you can't go to Hogwarts. You're in darling. And it's going to be the best time of your life and you're going to do such...amazing...things"

"Mum please don't start crying again"

"I'm sorry dear. You'll understand when you have to send your own child off. Anyway, get this bag packed up for the last time and clean this room. Dad says we're going down to London early to beat the traffic and so you get a decent compartment"

James grinned up at her. He gave her a quick hug and watched her totter out the room. He surveyed the mess and was about to start tidying when his dad poked his head through the door.

"Abluo" Fleamont said and the room tidied itself up. He winked and left the room as quick as he'd entered. 

James packed his bag in record time (he'd been doing it enough the past few days) and then lay back on his bed so he could stare at the ceiling, letting his eyes move in and out of focus and letting stars dance behind his eyelids. He never knew how or when he fell asleep that night, but his morning was a blur of tea, coffee and muggles doing the oddest things. He did in fact get a decent compartment, but he wasn't the only one when he got in there.

*******

"Is your bag packed? Do you have your inhaler? Hay fever medication? Do you have your blanky?"

"Muuuuuum. I'm not four years old"

"You're still my baby boy" Patricia whispered, crushing her son to her chest. Tears were already falling down her face but this was nothing new. She'd spent the last four or five weeks weeping at everything Peter said or did because it "was the last time he'd do/say that for a long time".

"I shouldn't hold you too tight, your chest will get bad pains again and if that hap-"

"Mum!"

Patricia Pettigrew was one of those parents that believed every spore, every nanoparticle and every cell was out there to kill her son. To the extent, even, that she wrote a letter to Professor Dumbledore the second Peter got his invite to Hogwarts to ask about the cautions that would be available to keep him safe. Dumbledore, to his credit, replied with the standard spells and protective precautions to keep all students and staff safe. Patricia had replied 'Yes but what of the real dark forces? What of gluten and the many diseases that can come from yeast?'

Dumbledore had not replied and Patricia had very nearly not allowed Peter to go. But that was hardly the main reason.

"If your Dad could see you now..."

'He'd tell you to stop crying and tell me to grow up and get on with it' Peter thought, but he simply nodded and waited patiently for his mother to leave him alone.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come to the station? Are you certain you have to go?" She whispered. Peter looked at her big blue eyes and felt guilt shred his heart into ribbons. He wanted to hold her tight and never leave her, she needed him so much. He felt his will slip away, after all, how could he leave? What if she went dark? No one knew how to take care of her.

"You look so much like him" She said, sweeping his hair back.

Maybe it wasn't that hard to leave after all. The streak of guilt flooded out of his body as he reminded himself of what his mother saw. His mother saw his Dad in him. Still believed Dad was trying to come back home. She hadn't accepted he was gone for good and that he had threatened to leave often enough. Once he was gone, Patricia was convinced she could smother Peter and keep him safe and healthy. Keep him safe. Safe and at home. Yet it seemed that when she said 'safe' she meant trapped.

Peter was her son and part of her loved him as a mother should, but her heart was not all there and neither was her mind and so Peter had taken on more the role of a pet. Sometimes a miniature figure of his Dad but that was usually when she drank too much fire whiskey, and that hadn't happened in a while.

Peter wrapped his arm around his mother and walked her back into the living room, holding her as she sobbed and waited for her to drift off to sleep. "Don't go" she pleaded, as her head lolled back against the sofa.

"Momma I have to-"

"Alan please don't leave us"

Great. It was one of those episodes. Peter shushed and promised and gently rocked her until she was unconscious. Peter looked up at the clock. 36 hours and 23 minutes until he was on that train and gone.

Peter felt the dread strike his heart simply because he knew the argument that would follow tomorrow as he tried to leave. He couldn't do it. He couldn't cope. He went upstairs and grabbed his suitcase and carried it as quietly as he could-hating his every heavy breath in mortal fear of being discovered. When he got to the front door he listened to his mothers steady breathing and longed for the old days when he would go and cuddle up next to her and wake her up with a small pot of tea. He steered himself and scribbled a small letter to her.

_"Got a letter while you were sleeping saying the train times were changed so I have to go earlier. I'll write when I get there. Love you, Peter xx"_

He stood looking at his sprawling handwriting for a long while, he heard her snort in her sleep and grabbed his bag, almost running through the front door. He thought he heard her sleepily ask his name but he slammed the door shut and went out quickly. He got to the street corner and summoned the Knight Bus, his small 11 year old heart nearly failing with fright at the newness of it all.

He never knew that his Dad had done the exact same thing for the exact same reason.

********

"KREACHER! SUMMON HIM!"

'You could summon the bloody minister of magic, screaming like that' Sirius thought to himself.

In came Kreacher, his long hooked nose twitching as he fought a wicked smile standing at the door.

"Master Sirius is asked to come now, Mistress demands it so"

"I'll be there in a minute"

"Master would be wi-"

"IN A MINUTE"

Kreacher tutted, a small smile on his face. "Mistress will not be pleased"

Sirius heard the door slam shut and finally breathed out. He was going to pay for making mother wait, but he couldn't take one more pure blood lecture. Who to befriend in Slytherin, which families to condone or accompany, which teachers to always be on his best behavior for. He only wanted to go to Hogwarts because it meant he didn't have to be  _here._ He was sick of the mudblood slander and the half breed rant. He was tired and he just wanted to go.

He took another large breath and then picked up his suitcase, ready to go. He was out of his room and going down the stairs when Regulus came to meet him.

"Mother wants-"

"I know Reg. I'm coming"

Regulus looked at his brother mournfully. His eyes tired, his face casting too many shadows. Sirius dropped his things and flung his arms around his brother. Just one of Sirius' arms fit around Reg entirely.

"It's gonna be ok Reg. I'll send you an owl everyday about what goes on and I'll try and come home in the holidays. So dry those eyes or mother will have you as well"

"SIRIUS ORION AND REGULUS ARCTURUS BLACK I EXPECT BOTH OF YOU DOWN THESE STAIRS BEFORE I HAVE TO RAISE MY WAND"

"I'm sorry I can't take you with me Regulus"

Regulus looked at him with those big eyes. Sirius knew it didn't matter what he said. If it was Reg going without him, he'd be bitter and depressed too.

"Let's go"

*******

Remus John Lupin did not have his mother with him. She didn't ask how he was, she didn't throw a fit he was leaving and she didn't lecture him on who he should or shouldn't be friends with. Hope Lupin knew Remus was scared, couldn't believe their luck that Dumbledore had invited Remus to a school and would have been perfectly happy if Remus told her he made friends with a rock. No, if Remus Lupin told his mother that he'd made friends with another human being she wouldn't have believed it without concrete proof. It was an impossible. Her son was a werewolf and to some degree his fellow wizards did their best to avoid him, even without knowing of his condition.

But this was irrelevant. Hope wasn't there.

He'd been given directions from Professor Dumbledore on how to get to Kings Cross and after how to get onto the platform. 

There was one slight flaw in this plan.

Remus was a country boy who'd never gotten the chance to leave his small rural area before. His ears hadn't properly adjusted to the sound and his head was spinning from the way the cars span past him and the amount of people crushing in on you at all times.

Remus was lost in a sea of faces and at that precise moment felt shipwrecked.

He didn't ask anyone to help him, he'd been told from an early age to not speak unless spoken too. Anxiety cascaded through him. He wished he wasn't so alone. And now the idea of Hogwarts was a great deal scarier than it had been. Thoughts of friends and fun were swirling down the drain pipe of his mind and now he was pure terrified. He couldn't go home, but surely he couldn't go. He'd most likely get there and get turned away at the door.

"Excuse me" a small voice said to his left. Remus whipped around in surprise.

"Do you know where kings cross is?" The boy said. He had sandy hair and pinched face. His clothes were baggy too and Remus felt a shot of relief. He shook his head in answer to his question.

"Damn. London's so big. If Hogwarts is like this I'll never find my way around" he then clapped his hand to his mouth. "Shouldn't have said that. 'Case you're a muggle."

"I'm not" Remus replied quietly. "I'm going too"

The boy smiled, the grin lighting up his face. "I'm Peter"

"Remus"

And they walked off together, attempting to navigate some sort of route to the train. Peter talked the whole time and Remus nodded and smiled and laughed along, his core felt warm.

Was this what it was like to have a friend?

*****

"This way to the platform James"

"Mum! Is that it?! Nine on one side, ten on the other and we have to go straight down the middle"

"That's right my baby boy"

"Mother we discussed this"

"Oh, it's mother now is it? Someone grew up sharp considering you were crying about-"

"DAD"

/

"Hey Remus! I think we've found it! Man it's a good thing we got here early or we'd have missed the train"

"I think I'd rather miss the train"

"I'm nervous too, but at least we've met each other! It'd be a lonely train ride without one"

"Without one what?"

"Without a friend-WOAH I NEARLY FELL THAT WALL NEEDS A HEALTH AND SAFETY SIGN"

Remus snorted with laughter all the way into their empty compartment.

/

"Look at these muggles. Filthy. Disgusting. There will be a day soon when they recognize the royalty around them and our noble house will be revered"

Walburga shivered.

"It's even worse on this platform. Around us are purebloods that dilute are blood and bow to the pathetic muggles. They follow the ministry's protection acts like they're worth anything. And the half bloods. Shouldn't even be educated if you ask me. Repulsive mudbl-"

"I'm going to go get on the train now Mother"

"Goodbye Sirius. Be sure to write. Remember what I told you about consorting with the wrong sort in Slytherin"

"Yes mother. Bye Reg"

_"You impertinent ill mannered child. I have told you time and time again, use your brothers proper name"_

But either Walburga didn't slap as hard as she wanted or Sirius was immune. He ran onto the train finding the closest compartment. Inside there was already two boys, but they welcomed him in immediately.

/

"Bye mum"

"My darling precious baby please write and be careful and-"

"Bye Dad"

"See you later champ and do what your teachers say"

James grinned and ran, forgetting to even look back.

/

"I'll write to you Tuney. I'll write a hundred letters before the end of the month"

"Freak" Petunia hissed at Lily.

"Petunia! Enough of that! We're so proud of you darling and we look forward to all the letters you can send. We'll see you at Christmas"

"See you at Christmas" she whispered, begging herself to not start crying. She felt a hand tug hers.

"Yeah, let's go Sev. See you all soon. I love you"

"We love you angel"

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
